Determination of API Changes

ABSTRACT

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for a computer program can be verified to be correct. The verification includes receiving updated source code for an application, receiving an application programming interface (API) corresponding to the application, scanning the updated source code, determining if the API has changed from a previous version of the API and determining if a change in the API is an intended change based on a comparison of the API with a predetermined benchmark.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Source code may represent the fundamental component of a program, anapplication, etc. An application programming interface (API) is aninterface that provides information as to how to interact with aparticular software application. For example, the API may define dataformats for the software application, the types of calls that can bemade to the software application, etc. When the source code of anapplication is changed, it may result in a change to the API used tointeract with the application. However, in other cases, the source codechanges would have no effect on the API.

SUMMARY

Some exemplary embodiments are related to a method including receivingupdated source code for an application, receiving an applicationprogramming interface (API) corresponding to the application, scanningthe updated source code, determining if the API has changed from aprevious version of the API and determining if a change in the API is anintended change based on a comparison of the API with a predeterminedbenchmark.

Other exemplary embodiments are related to a system having a source codeserver configured to compile an updated source code for an application,the application corresponding to an application programming interface(API) and an API analysis server. The API analysis server is configuredto receive the updated source code, receive the API, scan the updatedsource code, determine if the API has changed from a previous version ofthe API and determine if a change in the API is an intended change basedon a comparison of the API with a predetermined benchmark.

Still further exemplary embodiments are related to an analysis serverconfigured to perform operations. The operations include receivingupdated source code for an application, receiving an applicationprogramming interface (API) corresponding to the application, scanningthe updated source code, determining if the API has changed from aprevious version of the API and determining if a change in the API is anintended change based on a comparison of the API with a predeterminedbenchmark.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system used to determine the existence of achange in an application programming interface (API) according to theexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method for determining the existence of achange in an API according to the exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference tothe following description and the related appended drawings, whereinlike elements are provided with the same reference numerals. Theexemplary embodiments are related to a device, a system, and a methodfor determining the existence of a change in an application programminginterface (API) and an API analysis server that determines whether sucha change, if any, is an intended change. The exemplary embodiments mayscan new source code associated with an update to be released andcompare the new (updated) source code with documentation associated withthe update and/or a previous version of the source code. Based on thecomparison(s), the exemplary embodiments determine whether a change hasbeen made to the API and, if so, whether that change is an intendedchange.

The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to changing thesource code and determining if any changes to the API resulting from thesource code change(s) is intended. However, the particular componentsand inputs/outputs described with respect to the exemplary embodimentsare only illustrative and variations to the components, inputs, and/oroutputs may be used within the scope of the exemplary embodiments. Forexample, the determination of whether a change is intended may be madewith respect to any other aspect of the source code. In addition, itshould be understood that the source code may be source code for anysoftware application, application, program, function, etc., and theseterms may be used interchangeably throughout this document.

When changes to the source code are made, the API may or may not change.When the change in the source code results in a change to the API, thischange may be an unintended result of the change to the source code. Asa result, any existing tests (e.g., software quality assurance tests)that are run on the API would not be sufficient since these tests arebased on the original API (and not the unintentionally modified API).Because a software company may have thousands (or more) softwarepackages, some or all of which may be updated on a weekly or monthlybasis, it would be impossible for developers to manually monitor all ofthese changes.

The exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism to scan the updated sourcecode and compare it with a benchmark to determine if there are anychanges to the API and whether such changes are intended changes. Insome embodiments, the benchmark may include documentation indicating thechanges made in the updated source code and/or one or more previousversions of the source code. If an unintended change to the API isfound, an alert may be generated. As a result, the time required bydevelopers to monitor any changes is significantly reduced sincedevelopers may now focus on unintended changes instead of monitoringevery updated source code instance/package.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system 100 used to determine the existence ofa change in an application programming interface (API) according to theexemplary embodiments. The system 100 may represent an environment inwhich updates to source code are made and the API associated with theupdated source code is checked against a benchmark to determine if anyunintended changes to the API have occurred. The system 100 may includea source code server 102, an API analysis server 104, and a source coderepository 108.

The exemplary embodiments are described with regard to a system 100including servers as separate components that individually performrespective operations with inputs and outputs being exchanged betweenone another (e.g., via direct communication pathways, via a wired and/orwireless network, etc.). However, this configuration of separate servershaving a communication functionality is only exemplary. According toother exemplary embodiments, one or more of the functions described asbeing performed by the servers of the system 100 may be represented in asingle processing device or a single function may be distributed tomultiple processors in one or more devices. The servers of the system100 may therefore represent the operations that are performed within thedevice. The servers may also represent modular components that providefurther functionalities when incorporated with a main processing device(e.g., the API analysis server 104 may be implemented as the mainprocessing device with the source code server 102 and the source coderepository 108 being modular components that interact with the APIanalysis server 104). In further exemplary embodiments, the system 100may be represented in a cloud or with virtual machines. When implementedin a cloud or with virtual machines, the functionalities described forthe servers 102 and 104 of the system 100 may be instructions that maycause other components or other devices to perform correspondingoperations.

The source code server 102 may be configured to compile an updatedsource code 103 and send it to the API analysis server 104. The sourcecode may be a fundamental component from which a computer program iscreated. For example, the source code may be computer code (e.g., usingany programming language, script language, etc.) that is compiled andlinked (e.g., to generate object code) to create an executable program.As noted above, source code may include the API and the code toimplement the API. Updates to the source code may include patches,security updates, other updates, etc. A change in a specific part of thesource code may effectuate a change in the API. The documentation 106may include information pertaining to the source code changes which canbe used to determine if a change to the API was intended. For example,the documentation 106 may indicate what changes are being made to thesource code and whether those changes are expected to change the API.The documentation may be delivered to the API analysis server 104 withthe updated source code 103. The use of a server to store thedocumentation 106 is only exemplary as the documentation 106 may bestored in any known manner that may be separate from the source codeserver 102.

In some exemplary embodiments, if documentation regarding the updatedsource code 103 exists, the API analysis server 104 is configured toscan the updated source code and determine if the documentation 106indicates a change to the API. If the documentation does not indicatethat there should be a change to the API but the API analysis server 104determines that the updated source code 103 causes a change in the API,then in some exemplary embodiments, the API analysis server 104 maygenerate an alert to notify developers that an unintended change to theAPI has been detected. Conversely, if the documentation 106 indicates achange to the API should occur but the API analysis server 104 finds nosuch change, then the API analysis server 104 generates the alert tonotify developers of the discrepancy. If, however, the API does or doesnot change as indicated in the documentation 106, then the API analysisserver 104 may run existing tests on the API.

If, however, documentation 106 regarding the updated source code 103does not exist, then in some exemplary embodiments, the API analysisserver 104 may be configured to scan the updated source code 103 andscan one or more previous versions of the source code stored on thesource code repository 108. The use of a server to store the previousversions of the source code is only exemplary as the previous versionsof the source code may be stored in any known manner that may beseparate from the API analysis server 104. Subsequently, the APIanalysis server 104 is configured to compare the API of the updatedsource code 103 with the API of the one or more previous source codes.If the comparison shows that the API has changed from the previoussource code to the updated source code, then the API analysis server 104may generate an alert to notify developers that an unintended change tothe API has been detected. If, however, the API has not changed from theprevious source code, then the API analysis server 104 may run existingtests on the API. In some embodiments, if any of those tests fail, theAPI analysis server 104 may generate an alert to notify developers thatthe existing tests need to be updated.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method 200 for determining the existence of achange in an API according to the exemplary embodiments. The method 200may relate to the operations performed by the system 100 in scanning theupdated source code 103 and comparing it with the documentation 106and/or one or more previous versions of the source code to determine ifan unintended change to the API has occurred. The method 200 will bedescribed with regard to the system 100 of FIG. 1.

In 205, the API analysis server 104 receives the updated source code103. In 210, the API analysis server 104 determines if documentation 106corresponding to the updated source code 103 is also included. Ifdocumentation 106 exists, then, in 215 the API analysis server 104determines if the API will change based on the information in thedocumentation 106. In 220, the API analysis server 104 scans the updatedsource code 103. In 225, the API analysis server 104 compares the API ofthe updated source code 103 with the documentation 106. If, in 230, theAPI analysis server 104 determines that the API of the updated sourcecode 103 does not correspond to what is indicated in the documentation106, then, in 235, the API analysis server 104 generates an alert tonotify developers of the discrepancy. If, however, in 230, the APIanalysis server 104 determines that the API corresponds to what isindicated in the documentation 106, then, in 255, the API analysisserver 104 may run existing tests on the API. In some embodiments, ifany of those tests fail, the API analysis server 104 may generate analert to notify developers that the tests need to be changed/updated.

If in 210, it is determined that documentation 106 regarding the updatedsource code 103 does not exist, then, in 240, the API analysis server104 may scan the updated source code 103 and one or more previousversions of the source code stored in the source code repository 108. In245, the API analysis server 104 may compare the API of the updatedsource code 103 with the API of the one or more previous versions of thesource code. If, in 250, the API analysis server 104 determines that theAPI of the updated source code 103 has changed from the API of the oneor more previous versions of the source code, then the API analysisserver 104 proceeds to 235, where an alert is generated to notifydevelopers of the discrepancy. If, however, in 250, the API analysisserver 104 determines that the API of the updated source code 103 hasnot changed from the API of the one or more previous versions of thesource code, then the API analysis server 104 proceeds to 255, where theAPI analysis server 104 runs existing tests on the API of the updatedsource code. In some embodiments, if any of those tests fail, the APIanalysis server 104 may generate an alert to notify developers that thetests need to be changed/updated.

Although FIG. 2 and the above description show the comparison of the APIof the updated source code with the documentation 106 and the comparisonof the API of the updated source code with the API of one or moreprevious versions of the source code as alternatives (parallel), in someembodiments, these may be performed in series. For example, the APIanalysis server 104 may scan the updated source code 103, scan one ormore previous versions of the source code, and compare the API of theupdated source code 103 with both the documentations 103 and the API ofthe one or more previous versions of the source code. The API analysisserver 104 handles a change to the API similar to the functionalitydescribed above. In some embodiments, even if a change in the API of theupdated source code 103 is found, the API analysis server 104 may stillrun the existing tests on the API to determine which portions of the APIneed to be addressed.

The exemplary embodiments provide a device, system, and method fordetermining whether a change in an API of a source code has occurred andwhether that change, if any, was intended. With thousands (or more)packages, the mechanism according to the exemplary embodiments providesa means of automatically determining whether a change to the API, ifany, is intended.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-describedexemplary embodiments may be implemented in any suitable software orhardware configuration or combination thereof. An exemplary hardwareplatform for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, forexample, an Intel x86 based platform with compatible operating system, aWindows platform, a Mac platform and MAC OS, a mobile device having anoperating system such as iOS, Android, etc. In a further example, theexemplary embodiments of the above described method may be embodied as aprogram containing lines of code stored on a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium that may be executed on a processor ormicroprocessor.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in the present disclosure, without departingfrom the spirit or the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intendedthat the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of thisdisclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claimsand their equivalent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving updated sourcecode for an application; receiving an application programming interface(API) corresponding to the application; scanning the updated sourcecode; determining if the API has changed from a previous version of theAPI; and determining if a change in the API is an intended change basedon a comparison of the API with a predetermined benchmark.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the predetermined benchmark is documentationcorresponding to the updated source code, and wherein the documentationindicates whether the API should change from the previous version of theAPI.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the API has changed fromthe previous version of the API but the documentation indicates that theAPI should not have changed, the method further comprises: generating analert to indicate that an unintended change in the API has occurred. 4.The method of claim 2, wherein, when the API has changed from theprevious version of the API and the documentation indicates that the APIshould have changed, the method further comprises: executing tests onthe first API.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: scanning aprevious version of the source code, wherein the previous version of theAPI corresponds to the previous version of the source code, and whereinthe predetermined benchmark is the previous version of the APIcorresponding to the previous version of the source code.
 6. The methodof claim 5, wherein, when the API is different than the previous versionof the API, the method further comprises: generating an alert toindicate that an unintended change in the API has occurred.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, wherein, when the API is different than the previousversion of the API, the method further comprises: executing tests on thefirst API.
 8. A system, comprising: a source code server configured tocompile an updated source code for an application, the applicationcorresponding to an application programming interface (API); and an APIanalysis server configured to: receive the updated source code; receivethe API; scan the updated source code; determine if the API has changedfrom a previous version of the API; and determine if a change in the APIis an intended change based on a comparison of the API with apredetermined benchmark.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein thepredetermined benchmark is documentation corresponding to the updatedsource code, and wherein the documentation indicates whether the APIshould have changed from the previous version of the API.
 10. The systemof claim 9, wherein, when the API has changed from the previous versionof the API but the documentation indicates that the API should not havechanged, the API analysis server is further configured to: generate analert to indicate that an unintended change in the API has occurred. 11.The system of claim 9, wherein, when the API has changed from theprevious version of the API but the documentation indicates that the APIshould not have changed, the API analysis server is further configuredto: execute tests on the first API.
 12. The system of claim 8, whereinthe API analysis server is further configured to: scan a previousversion of the source code stored on an source code repository, whereinthe predetermined benchmark is a previous version of the APIcorresponding to the previous source code.
 13. The system of claim 12,wherein when API is different than the previous version of the API, theAPI analysis server is further configured to: generate an alert toindicate that an unintended change in the first API has occurred. 14.The system of claim 12, wherein when API is different than the previousversion of the API, the API analysis server is further configured to:execute tests on the first API.
 15. An analysis server configured toperform operations comprising: receiving updated source code for anapplication; receiving an application programming interface (API)corresponding to the application; scanning the updated source code;determining if the API has changed from a previous version of the API;and determining if a change in the API is an intended change based on acomparison of the API with a predetermined benchmark.
 16. The analysisserver of claim 15, wherein the predetermined benchmark is documentationcorresponding to the updated source code, and wherein the documentationindicates whether the API should change from the previous version of theAPI.
 17. The analysis server of claim 16, wherein, when the API haschanged from the previous version of the API but the documentationindicates that the API should not have changed, the operations furthercomprise: generating an alert to indicate that an unintended change inthe API has occurred.
 18. The analysis server of claim 16, wherein, whenthe API has changed from the previous version of the API and thedocumentation indicates that the API should have changed, the operationsfurther comprise: executing tests on the first API.
 19. The analysisserver of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise: scanning aprevious version of the source code, wherein the previous version of theAPI corresponds to the previous version of the source code, and whereinthe predetermined benchmark is the previous version of the APIcorresponding to the previous version of the source code.
 20. Theanalysis server of claim 19, wherein, when the API is different than theprevious version of the API, the operations further comprise: generatingan alert to indicate that an unintended change in the API has occurred.